Issue #1

As an addition to the facebook page I'm going to be bringing a column (which will at least be attempted weekly) describing a number of things that are better than being shot in the face. This opens us, again, to a broad number of subjects. This is the first "issue" (what is the technical term for review blogs, anyway?).


FILM: Surveillance
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409345/

I saw this film last year at a film festival. Currently it's set for limited theatrical release on June 26th. If you are in any way a fan of twisted, dark thrillers, then this is highly recommended. A great cast including Bill Pullman, Julia Ormond, Michael Ironside and Hugh Dillon all act circles around eachother in what seems like a fairly straightfoward thriller, yet is anything but. The biggest surprises to me are the performances by two normally comedic actors - French Stewart (3rd Rock From The Sun) and Cheri Oteri. Stewart in particular is so creepy the role itself could remake his career. A warning though: this is directed by David Lynch's daughter, and it gets very weird. Check out the trailer below:




TV: The Inbetweeners

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1220617/

British TV series that regularily has me on the floor laughing. Four socially awkward high-schoolers in Britian continually screw up their social spheres and get into more trouble than they intend. It's crass as hell, non-stop funny, and has a twisted sense of what I like to call "collision humor". It's the tactic shows like 'Curb Your Enthusiasm', 'Seinfeld', 'Arrested Development' and 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' use - making seperate character arcs collide into one huge punchline toward the end of the episode. Sort of working the comedy in layers until it all comes to a (in this case rather uncomfortable) head. Really worth a watch. The only thing that can sometimes get on your nerves is the narration. Here's a link to a sample scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bthYce-LsNQ

BOOK: Florida Roadkill (by Tim Dorsey)

This is the first Tim Dorsey book I read (I believe he has ten now), and is the first written by him. Think Hunter S. Thompson meets Chuck Palahniuk with a splash of Dashall Hammet. He writes Florida like a festering cess-pool of corruption, crime and drugs. But somehow, it's hilarious. At first it's difficult to keep track of all of the characters, but after a while the constant perspective shifts weave together seamlessly. The story is twisted, and centers around a briefcase containing $5 million dollars being pursued by a sociopathic tour-guide named Serge A. Storms (with an enyclopedic knowledge of Florida and just about every psychological trait listed in the DSM4). It's violent, it moves like a rocket, and it should leave you hungry for the next book, the direct sequel Hammerhead Ranch Motel.

MUSIC: Giant Squid - The Icthyologist
http://www.giantsquidlives.com/

This is a great album, plain and simple. Even if you don't like metal, the genre this record most closely resembles, you should give it a try. It is at times very heavy, but mostly it's just extremely well written music. Numerous instruments outside of standard "metal" are used - cello, horns, sax, clean female vocals mixed with a growling frontman highly reminiscent of Serge from System of a Down. This is an album that should be listened to start to finish, to get as a whole piece of art. It's the kind of thing that the mp3 culture is making harder to find - a full concept that exists stronger as a whole, and not just a sum of it's parts. Highly recommended.




UP AND COMING: Blood River
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1137999/

This is the newest film by indie director Adam Mason (The Devil's Chair, Broken). I haven't seen it yet, but I greatly look forward to it. I thought 'The Devil's Chair' was a refreshing take on horror, and a nice mindfuck of the audience's expectations. 'Blood River' looks like a nicely twisted thriller, which I do enjoy. Check out the trailer:




YOUTUBE: Lego 'Silence of the Lambs' Musical

Yeah, you heard me right. Enjoy:




And finally, while we're on the topic of things better than being shot in the face, I submit this: testicular electrocution. Some may disagree with this (I'm looking at about 95% of the dudes reading this - the other 5% probably practice this to some degree for pleasure), but I think surviving testicular electrocution, as painful as it may be, is certainly better than being shot in the face. If only slightly.